Portable golf driving range

ABSTRACT

An apparatus and method for practicing golf shot where a ball is tethered to a storage and winding device for ball deployment. The tether feeds out of the storage and winding element guiding the A selectively operable motor rewinds the tether into the storage and winding device. A board onto which the practicing apparatus is removably mounted includes multiple surface materials to simulate various terrain conditions. A laser reader and bar coded tether is provided to measure the distance traveled by the ball.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

The present invention claims priority to U.S. application No.61/379,462; filed Sep. 10, 2010, a portable golf driving range apparatusand method of using the portable driving range.

Those who play golf and wish to improve their game or wish to maintaintheir level of proficiency, often practice various aspects of golf, suchas driving, putting, chipping, etc. In order to practice driving,golfers must go to driving ranges. Otherwise, if adequate space isavailable, a golfer can practice driving by hitting practice shots in afield, across a lawn, or across or into some other unobstructed area.The problem with practicing driving at areas other than driving rangesis that after practicing his or her driving, the golfer must find andrecover hit golf balls. This ball retrieval can take a considerableamount of time.

The portable golf driving range of the present invention and the methodof use permit a user the opportunity to improve hand eye coordination,ball striking consistency, alignment, exercise, and overall golf gameperformance. The apparatus accommodates anyone who can swing a golfclub, from a novice to professional. The portable driving range providesan apparatus for practicing golf that allows a tethered golf ball toexperience the flight characteristics of a non-tethered golf ball.

The portable driving range is ready to use after a user positions theportable driving range in the desired location. The user engages arelease button, which allows the ball, that is tethered to a storage andwinding device, to drop to a practice mat. The user then drags the ballto a strike area located on the practice mat. The user strikes the balltoward a desired target area. After ball flight is complete, the userthen engages a return button. A motor engages the storage and windingdevice to return the ball via a bar coded tether that is read by a laserdevice to measure the distance traveled by the ball. Once the line hascompletely returned to the storage and winding device the process isrepeated.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a portable golfdriving range that substantially obviates one or more of the problemsdue to limitations and disadvantages of the related art.

An advantage of the present invention is to provide an apparatus thatmay be used inside with a soft ball or outside with a hard ball. Withthe portable driving range, the ball is tethered to the apparatus thus,the ball is never lost. The user can practice anytime and anywhere, withseveral ball type options. The portable driving range also accommodatesboth left and right handed players, The apparatus is easy to carry witha handle and is lightweight. No assembly is required by the user, Theuser is able to see ball flight while the portable driving rangecalculates distance of the ball.

Another advantage of the present invention is to provide an apparatuswhere the user can practice any time and can even use the apparatus towarm up before a round of golf. The present invention saves money andtime where less time is spent at the driving range. Several users canpractice together and balls are confined to each unit. The user neverhas to bend over to touch the half A physically challenged person canuse the portable driving range.

Additional features and advantages of the invention will be set forth inthe description which follows, and in part will be apparent from thedescription, or may be learned by practice of the invention. Theobjectives and other advantages of the invention will be realized andattained by the structure particularly pointed out in the writtendescription and claims hereof as well as the appended drawings.

To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purposeof the present invention, as embodied and broadly described, a portablegolf driving, range apparatus including an automatic ball retrievercomprising: a board, a ,mat attached to the board and a motor ,mountedon the board, a power source for actuating the motor, a storage andwinding device connected to the motor; a ball; a tether including afirst end and a second end, wherein the first end is connected to theball and the second end is connected to the storage and winding device;and a strike area on the mat.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description andthe following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and areintended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a furtherunderstanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute apart of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention andtogether with the description serve to explain the principles of theinvention.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a portable golf driving range according to thepresent invention.

FIG. 1A is a plan view of the underside of a portable golf driving rangeaccording to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view of a ball of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the portable golf driving range including a barcoded tether and laser reader according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS

Reference will now he made in detail to an embodiment of the presentinvention, example of which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings:

The apparatus of the present invention is directed to a portable golfdriving range for practicing hitting golf balls, which automaticallyretrieve a golf ball after a practice shot, The device includes atethered golf ball, a storage and winding device, a practice mat and astrike area. The tethered golf ball comprises a swivel. A tether isattached to the swivel, which prevents the tether from becoming twisted.The tether can be a line, cord, string, wire, etc. which has a suitabletensile strength to withstand the impact force applied to a golf ball asit is struck by a golf club. Commercial fishing line has been found tobe particularly useful for purposes of the present invention.

The storage and winding device holds, feeds-out, and reels-in thetether, In this regard, the storage and winding device includes a spoolupon which the tether can be wound, stored and released. The tether canbe freely pulled off the reel by the force of a golf ball during itstrajectory. Thereafter, a motor can be activated and used to drive thestorage and winding device so that the tether is wound back on the reel.

As shown in FIG. 1, the portable driving range is illustrated at 10. Agolf bail 70 is attached at one end to a tether 80 by a swivel 73. Thetether 80 passes through an opening in a storage and winding device 60.The second end of the tether 80 is attached to a reel 61 of the storageand winding device 60. The tether 80 is wound about the reel 61. Windingof the tether 80 is accomplished by rotation of the reel 61 by a returnmechanism 100 connected to the motor 40. A shaft 41 of the motor 40 isconnected to the storage and winding device 60. The motor 40 iselectrically connected to a battery 50.

The storage and winding device 60 is driven by the electric motor 40,which causes the spool 62 of the reel 61 to rotate and thereby wind thetether 80 onto the spool 62. According to an embodiment of the presentinvention, the motor 40 can include a lithium cordless motor. The motor40 is coupled to the storage and winding device and used to wind thetether 80 onto reel 61.

The motor 40 is provided with a return mechanism 100. Such returnmechanism 100 can be operated by hand or activated by a user's foot orby pressing the return mechanism 100 with an end of a golf club. Arelease mechanism 110 is provided on the storage and winding device 60.Actuation of the release mechanism 110 allows the user to place the golfball 70 in a desired location.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the motor 40 and the storage and windingdevice 60 are both removably mounted to a board 20. The motor 40 and thestorage and winding device 60 can be mounted to the board 20 using, forexample, bolts or a loop and fastener material. Board 20 includes aflexible mat 130 attached thereto. The flexible mat 130 include, forexample, a flexible steel belted rubber tire underside. A first flexiblematerial 131 and a second flexible material 132 are removably mounted tothe flexible mat 130. A strike area 90 is also provided on the flexiblemat 130 where the strike area 90 can be located distal to the storageand winding device 60. First flexible material 131 includes, forexample, a light-grade material and second flexible material 132includes, for example, a heavy-duty grade material. The flexiblematerial simulates various terrain conditions such as a short, medium ortall grassy field, areas of brush or a body of water. The flexible mat130 also includes a tee 91 mounted thereon. Board 20 also includespre-drilled holes on both sides such that the orientation of the motor40 and the storage and winding device 60 can be changed to accommodateboth left-handed and right-handed users.

The tether 80 can be a line, cord, string, wire, etc, which has asuitable tensile strength to withstand the impact force applied to thegolf ball 70 as it is struck by a golf club. Commercial fishing line hasbeen found to be particularly useful for purposes of the presentinvention. In particular, fishing line, which does not have a memory,has been found to be preferred, since it pays out straight and stayslevel when retrieved. Monofilament, pure strand or woven fishing linescan be used.

FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view of the tethered golf ball 70 accordingto one embodiment of the present invention. The golf ball 70 cancomprise a hard, soft, reflective, or glow in the dark material. Thestandard golf ball 70 is provided with a small diameter bore 71, whichis wide enough to receive a movable eyelet 73. The movable eyelet 73 canbe mounted within the bore 71 by a compression fit or with glue so thatthe movable eyelet 73 extends beyond the surface 74 of the golf ball 70as depicted in FIG. 2. Ideally, a portion of the movable eyelet 73extends from the bore 71 as illustrated. This ensures that the golf ball70 is allowed to freely rotate with respect to the tether 80,particularly during retrieval.

As shown in FIG. 3, board 20 includes a handle 21 for ease of handlingwhen transporting the board to different locations. An extension rod 22is mounted on the board. Extension rod 22 is used to assist with ballretrieval.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, a laser reader 140 can he provided on theportable golf driving range 10. The laser reader 140 reads informationcontained in a bar code 150 located on tether 80. Output from the laserreader 140 is shown on display 160, which also includes a ready light170. Ready light 170 indicates that the ball 70 is set to be striked.

It will he apparent to those skilled in the art that variousmodifications and variation can be made in the present without departingfrom the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, it is intended that thepresent invention cover the modifications and variations of thisinvention provided they come within the scope of the append claims andtheir equivalents.

1. A portable golf driving range apparatus including an automatic ballretriever comprising: a flexible surface base; a board attached to theflexible surface base; a motor mounted on the board; a power source foractuating the motor; a storage and winding device connected to themotor; a ball; a tether including a first end and a second end, whereinthe first end is connected to the ball and the second end is connectedto the storage and winding device; and a strike area on the mat.
 2. Theportable golf driving range apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein thestorage and winding device includes a release mechanism.
 3. The portablegolf driving range apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the motorincludes a return mechanism.
 4. The portable golf range apparatus asclaimed in claim 1 further comprising a rubber tee.
 5. The portable golfdriving range apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the boardcomprises a stiff surface.
 6. The portable golf driving range apparatusas claimed in claim 1 wherein the flexible surface base comprises asteel belted rubber material including a first material and a secondmaterial, wherein the first and the second material are bonded to theflexible steel belted rubber material.
 7. The portable golf drivingrange apparatus as claimed in claim 6 further comprising a tee mountedon the flexible surface including a first material.
 8. The portable golfdriving range apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the storage andwinding device is a tension control reel.
 9. The portable golf rangedriving apparatus as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a metalinsert mounted within the ball,
 10. The portable golf driving rangeapparatus as claimed in claim 9 wherein the first end of the line isattached to the metal insert.
 11. The portable golf driving rangeapparatus as claimed in claim 2 wherein the release mechanism isactuated by using a golf club head, hand, or foot.
 12. The portable golfdriving range apparatus as claimed in claim 3 wherein the returnmechanism is actuated by using a golf club bead, hand, or foot.
 13. Theportable golf driving range apparatus as claimed in claim 1 furthercomprising has a light to indicate ball is set to be strip
 14. Theportable golf driving range apparatus as claimed in claim 9 wherein themetal insert includes a quick-change mechanism to allow balls to bequickly interchanged.
 15. The portable golf driving range apparatus asclaimed in claim 1 further comprising a spare battery on the board. 16.The portable golf driving range apparatus as claimed in claim 1 furthercomprising an extension rod to assist in retrieving the ball.
 17. Theportable golf driving range apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein thestrike area is located distal to the storage and winding device.